Carrot Purée as a Healthy Secret Ingredient

I learned a really cool cooking idea many years ago that I’ve used over and over again to flavor soups, rice dishes and more. It’ll also help you use up that whole bag of carrots that’s going bad in your fridge right now. If you have kids, you can also use the same trick to slip into a whole host of dishes, giving them the carrots you want them to have and they aren’t too thrilled to eat.

Start off by washing and peeling fresh organic carrots. I love the colored kinds, but any variety is good as long as they’re pesticide-free. I boil a one-pound bag for about 20-30 minutes. Stick a fork in a few of them and if it slides in easily, they’re pretty much done.

Drain the water out and let the carrots cool for a few minutes. Next, use a food processor or heavy-duty blender to thoroughly process just half of the carrots. Don’t add water.

Once about half of the carrots are processed, add the rest.

Keep on churning until the carrots are completely smooth. If it takes one minute, two minutes, etc. But it shouldn’t take much longer than that.

View from the top (before it was smoothed out completely):

Here’s what you should get at the end: a nice and creamy carrot purée.

Now you can use it immediately, of course. I typically portion out the puree and store it in freezer containers or bags, such as these:

It’s so nice to have a lot to save for future meals.

And these containers stack easily in the freezer. You can find them at many drug stores, actually, during canning season.

Don’t forget to label the puree with its contents and the date.Now when you’re ready, you can add the puree to soups and stews to give them added flavor. It’s also a wonderful addition to the base of rice, which is how I first learned to use it. I also make a great carrot soup in the spring (recipe in my Summer Ramadan Cooking cookbook) and if you have a baby, well, your baby food is pretty much done, isn’t it?

I do this all the time, actually! I add carrot puree to all my tomato-based meals like chili, habichuelas guisadas (Puerto Rican stewed red beans), etc. Making the puree in advance is a great idea! I usually keep my steamed carrots in the fridge and use it within a week, and then toss it into my sauce and then puree it with my immersion blender.

I'm Yvonne Maffei, welcoming you to explore halal cooking, eating, and living. Join me for a delicious exchange of global recipes, cooking tips and lifestyle inspiration you can enjoy any day of the week!